How Much CBD for Chronic Pain? Dosage Guide and Evidence

Cannabidiol (CBD ) is one of the health products for which my patients seek my advice the most, especially when it comes to dosage for chronic pain.

Hence this article, in which I summarize the knowledge I’ve acquired to best answer their questions. At the end of the article, you’ll find links to the main studies on CBD and chronic pain published in the international medical literature.

♻️ Last update: August 20, 2025
👩‍⚖️ Declaration of financial interests: amazon links and sensilia affiliates. My complete declaration of links of interest is in legal mentions.
Written by Nelly Darbois, physiotherapist and scientific editor

What type of chronic pain are we talking about?

There are many ways to categorize and define pain.

Chronic pain is generally defined as painthat lasts at least 3 months.

During these 3 months, this pain is not necessarily continuous:

• it can increase ;
• it may diminish or even disappear at times.

But even if it fluctuates, 3 months later, it’s still there.

There are also 3 main types of chronic pain, depending on the mechanism at work in the body at the probable origin of the pain:

• peripheral pain: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, fractures;
• neuropathic pain: diabetic neuropathy, neurological pathology (stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, etc.), intercostal pain, myofascial syndrome;
• centralized pain: fibromyalgia, tension headaches, etc.

In this article, we focus on all pain that has lasted for at least 3 months, regardless of its type or the pathology or problem causing it.

Why care about the dosage of CBD to take for chronic pain?

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been readily available for several years now.

And many people point to its benefits.

Some people suffering from chronic pain have high hopes of FINALLY finding a solution to relieve their pain. A solution they often believe to be “natural”, with no side effects.

Unfortunately, the scientific quality of the information found in CBD stores or on the e-commerce sites that sell it is often lacking.

There’s a fairly extensive list of CBD effects, but they’re rarely mentioned:

• whether CBD is really more effective than existing medicinal or non-medicinal treatments, or at least as effective;
• of the proportion of people it steps on;
• and above all, the precise amount of CBD you need to take to be effective.

As you can imagine, there’s a big difference between :

• once a day, drink half an herbal tea of 250 ml of hot water in which a sachet containing 1 gram of CBD has been left to infuse for 3 minutes;
• swallow one 20mg CBD capsule 3 times a day.

My aim with this article is to inform you as precisely as possible about the effects of CBD on chronic pain, depending on the dosage you take.

Is the effect of CBD on chronic pain being extensively studied?

It all depends on what you’re comparing it to.

Compared to the effect of paracetamol or anti-inflammatory drugs on chronic pain, for example, it has been much less studied.

Compared to CBD’s effect on stress, it has been studied a little more for pain.

The main limitation of CBD studies is thatthey are often in fact therapeutic cannabis studies, containing more THC than CBD. Why is this? Because these forms exist in medicinal form:

• we are more sure of the precise amount of THC and CBD they contain;
• the pharmaceutical laboratories that develop them have more money to carry out clinical studies, because it’s also in their interest to have these studies in order to hope that one day governments will pay for part of their treatments.

The effect of CBD in clinical studies is little studied, but a few studies do exist.

What do studies tell us about CBD’s effectiveness against chronic pain?

From theory…

Some research teams are optimistic about the potential effects of CBD against pain. For these reasons:

• the mechanism of action of the substances contained in CBD on pain receptors and the brain is theoretically plausible;
• studies on rats show that :
  • CBD acts on the serotonin receptor. It is a compound naturally present in the body. In particular, it reduces stress and pain;
  • CBD reduces inflammatory and neuropathic pain and anxiety by activating or deactivating certain neuronal receptors.

(De Gregorio et al. 2019. Review: Pain)

… To reality

I’m going to focus on the results of a scientific publication that most summarizes our current knowledge on the effect of CBD against chronic pain.

This is a 2022 publication by a US research team entitled: Efficacy, safety and regulation of cannabidiol on chronic pain : a systematic review.

As you can see, we’re right on topic 🙂.

The team analyzed the results of all sufficiently rigorous studies conducted to evaluate the effect of cannabidiol on chronic pain in humans.

She found 12 publications.

However, of these 12 publications, 5 are in fact… publications of the same type as this one, which summarize knowledge on the subject by making syntheses. And only one is a randomized controlled trial, the only study of sufficient quality to really say anything about the subject.

There are a few interesting points to note in the way this team summarizes the progress of research on the subject:

These observations show that a variable amount of CBD exerts different effects on a healthy cell. It is mainly the dosage that dictates the magnitude of the results.

Resah et al. 2022

And further on, citing the conclusions of other syntheses on the subject:

While Rabgay concluded that there is insufficient evidence to determine the efficacy of CBD in pain, Boyaji found it difficult to recommend the use of CBD in chronic pain.Access to pure CBD is the main reason for these conclusions.

Resah et al. 2022

And again:

In comparison, we can deduce that appropriate dosage and route of administrationare essential to achieve the maximum effect from CBD use.

Resah et al. 2022

What to remember? Even if there is currently no evidence that CBD is effective against chronic pain in humans, those wishing to test this substance on themselves should take sufficient quantities to hope for efficacy!

What dosage of CBD should I take?

Here’s some information from other scientific publications on CBD that should guide you in the right dosage to take in your case.

The results of 49 CBD clinical trials, with oral doses ranging from 10 mg to 1.5 g per day, showed that CBD was well tolerated and had a good safety profile.

Henson 2022

Put another way: taking up to 1.5g of CBD a day doesn’t seem dangerous.

The recommended dose of THC and/or CBD is to start with a low dose twice a day (or once a day in case of insomnia) andgradually increase the dose over two to three weeks until the participant discovers the optimal dose.

Henson 2022

So it’s best to start with a low dose 2 times a day, and increase it over 2/3 weeks until the desired effect is achieved.

What is this “low dose”?

The therapeutic benefits of CBD became clearer at doses greater than or equal to 300 mg. Increasing the dosage from 60 to 400 mg/day did not appear to be associated with an increased frequency of adverse effects. At doses of 300 to 400 mg, there is evidence of efficacy in reducing anxiety, as well as anti-dependence effects in drug addicts. More marginal and less consistent therapeutic effects on insomnia, neurological disorders and chronic pain have also emerged.

Arnold 2023

The idea is to reach 300 to 400 mg/day after 2/3 weeks.

Some people also recommend calculating in relation to your weight. For example, you can start with 2.85 mg/kg/day.

For someone weighing 70 kg: 2×100 mg/day , then gradually increase.

CBD’s interaction with other substances

When taken in large doses over a long period of time, cannabidiol (CBD) can interact with a number of other substances. In such cases, it’s best to discuss CBD use with a doctor who is well-informed about your drug regimen and possible CBD-related interactions.

More specifically, caution is advised if you are taking the following medications:

• Estrogen-containing medications, such as the oral contraceptive pill: high levels of CBD may reduce or even cancel out the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill.
• An anticoagulant called warfarin (a vitamin K inhibitor AVK: It is recommended to regularly monitor the INR (International Normalized Ratio) when you start taking CBD at the same time as warfarin.
• Cancer immunotherapies: there is a potential risk of reduced efficacy due to CBD consumption, which can alter the immune response.

Source: Henson 2022, Grayson 2018

Thanks to researcher Jeremy Henson of the University of New South Wales (Australia) for reminding me of these interactions.

What form should CBD be taken for chronic pain?

You’re quite right to wonder about the ideal form for greater efficiency.

Two forms are recommended for chronic pain:

• 💊 CBD to swallow(pill, capsule, capsule, flowers, honey or CBD crystals);
• 🧴 CBD, which diffuses through the mucous membranes(spray).

The least recommended forms are inhaled and vaporized, smoking it 💨 .

(Haüser 2018)

It’s better to take CBD in spray or swallowable form than to inhale or vapourize it, if you want to maximize its effectiveness against pain.

Many establishments and websites sell CBD. The hardest part isidentifying products with a sufficiently high CBD content.

After several years of trying to find a manufacturer that communicated clearly on this subject, I discovered the Sensilia CBD brand. It communicates very clearly on the amount of CBD contained in these products and in each ration, which I find very good. And the prices are quite reasonable for the amount of CBD in them.

I’m not paid to tell you about them, but if you click on the link and buy, I can earn a small commssion. And it’s 10% cheaper for you if you use the code NDB10 for purchases of 50 euros or more.

If you wish to go through Amazon : see here.

You’ll probably be able to find similar products in a store near you. Remember to ask for the precise quantity of CBD per ration. If the sales assistant doesn’t know how to answer (which is already honest of him!), I advise you to find another store.

Can I still expect an effect even with a lower dosage?

Of course, there’s nothing to stop you trying a lower dosage. In fact, some people describe an effect with much smaller quantities.

However, it is reasonable to think that this effect is probably more related to the fact of taking something (the so-called placebo effect) than to the effect of the substance itself.

***

Do you have any questions or feedback? All comments are welcome.

You’ll also find below other articles I’ve written that focus more specifically on theeffect of CBD against pain in certain pathologies.

You may also be interested in these articles

1. CBD for joint pain
2. CBD for neuropathic pain

📚 SOURCES

De Gregorio D, McLaughlin RJ, Posa L, Ochoa-Sanchez R, Enns J, Lopez-Canul M, Aboud M, Maione S, Comai S, Gobbi G. Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic pain. Pain. 2019 Jan;160(1):136-150. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001386. PMID: 30157131; PMCID: PMC6319597.

Villanueva MRB, Joshaghani N, Villa N, Badla O, Goit R, Saddik SE, Dawood SN, Rabih AM, Niaj A, Raman A, Uprety M, Calero M, Khan S. Efficacy, Safety, and Regulation of Cannabidiol on Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2022 Jul 16;14(7):e26913. doi: 10.7759/cureus.26913. PMID: 35860716; PMCID: PMC9288157.

Henson JD, Vitetta L, Hall S. Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol medicines for chronic pain and mental health conditions. Inflammopharmacology. 2022 Aug;30(4):1167-1178. doi: 10.1007/s10787-022-01020-z. Epub 2022 Jul 7. PMID: 35796920; PMCID: PMC9294022.

Arnold JC, McCartney D, Suraev A, McGregor IS. The safety and efficacy of low oral doses of cannabidiol: An evaluation of the evidence. Clin Transl Sci. 2023 Jan;16(1):10-30. doi: 10.1111/cts.13425. Epub 2022 Oct 19. PMID: 36259271; PMCID: PMC9841308.

Häuser W, Petzke F, Fitzcharles MA. Efficacy, tolerability and safety of cannabis-based medicines for chronic pain management – An overview of systematic reviews. Eur J Pain. 2018 Mar;22(3):455-470. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1118. Epub 2017 Oct 15. PMID: 29034533.